Alt Text: CORRECTION: After careful evaluation, we have determined that the axis label on this chart was printed backward.

In the original translation, the dwarves that made Thor's hammer were known as Milwaukee and DeWalt, but they got sued into changing their names in all subsequent translations. Excellent toolmakers, dwarves, but terrible taste in lawyers

My niece does marketing for Black & Decker. This cartoon may threaten their lucrative Dustbuster infantry weapons contract with the US Army. She may be demoted to the Stanley Blunt Instrument division.

I'm guessing the shovel. Nobody makes the mistake of trying to pinpoint vital organs with a shovel. And I know in movies a shovel to the head does more to incapacitate criminals than a flamethrower to the head, iron to the face, paint can to the face, and two-story fall all put together, even if it's just an aluminum snow shovel wielded by an old man.

Dr. Who fans are probably upset at how far down (up?) the chart screwdrivers are located.

Me, I'm wondering where staple removers fit.

In any case, it's important to remember the lesson offered by the game Munchkin: anything can be a dangerous weapon as long as you describe it as "...of Doom". "He wields the mighty Spirit Level of Doom!"

"[T]he author has followed the usual practice of contemporary books on graph theory, namely to use words that are similar but not identical to the terms used in other books on graph theory."-- Donald Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, Vol I, 3rd ed.

"Spirit Level" already sounds like it should be some kind of mystical weapon or something; like, something that mows down souls or something. The "...of Doom" version just sounds like it got turned to the dark side.

I don't suppose anyone here kept reading Erfworld? It's astonishing that's gone on as long as it has; it was rather baffling and unfunny during its time alongside The Order of the Stick at giantitp.com .

But it springs to mind for its use of the legendary Arkenhammer, opposed by the mighty Arkenpliers, and ... a variety of other things I never cared to find out about.

Also, I reckon a clipboard would be pretty high on the list, because there's never any chance of stopping someone angrily walking around with a clipboard.

Jorpho wrote:I don't suppose anyone here kept reading Erfworld? It's astonishing that's gone on as long as it has; it was rather baffling and unfunny during its time alongside The Order of the Stick at giantitp.com .

But it springs to mind for its use of the legendary Arkenhammer, opposed by the mighty Arkenpliers, and ... a variety of other things I never cared to find out about.

There's the Arkendish, and the Arkenshoes that have been confirmed. There is much speculation about whether there are more than the four.

Ok, so what exactly is a Dremel? I tried looking it up, but all I got was that it is a company that is known for "hand held rotary tools", but that doesn't really help me either, and honestly makes me think of phones. Also they apparently make such diverse other products as hot glue guns and 3D printers...

Even if the axis label was later revealed to be backward, I fail to see how anyone could think a hammer is better than an axe even for a second. An axe can do anything a hammer can, but it also has a blade for crying out loud.

somitomi wrote:Even if the axis label was later revealed to be backward, I fail to see how anyone could think a hammer is better than an axe even for a second. An axe can do anything a hammer can, but it also has a blade for crying out loud.

Yes. This. Randall seems to have overlooked the second part of the definition:hand toolnoun a tool held in the hand and operated without electricity or other powerI'm trying to picture how a jackhammer would work without electricity or other power. Pedals? But that would make it a foot tool....

mathmannix wrote:Ok, so what exactly is a Dremel? I tried looking it up, but all I got was that it is a company that is known for "hand held rotary tools", but that doesn't really help me either, and honestly makes me think of phones. Also they apparently make such diverse other products as hot glue guns and 3D printers...

The most publicly ubiquitous Dremels (their "Dremel multi tool"s), IMO, are basically hand-held screw/drill/brush/etc-drivers that are either mains-cable or battery-pack powered. I nearly replied as such to Drazen's "Thor's Cordless Drill" suggestion, but corded Dremel multi-tool rotary drill(/etc)-bit versions are probably more useful for less than casual jobs, like using in a drill-stand frame or other such device for routing/gouging, for consistency and control of torque.

They do make a lot of different items, but it's sort of like Hoover make washing machines and fridges but a hoover is now something more specific in particular that may even not be made by Hoover. A few fewer years behind it, so "dremel" hasn't the same reputational ubiquity, and the wand-like Dremel form is probably still set in the more amateur/low scale end of use, compared to the gun-grip Black'n'Decker style of heavy duty cordless power-driver/drill/etc. Think dremel as 'dustbuster' to B&D's 'hoover', maybe? Although these days cordless hoovers (and/or dysons) are complicating the Euler diagrams of that.

(I think my dremels haven't taken bit-sizes greater than 5mm diameter, though that was enough to use them to punch some Cat5 cable through a 6" cast concrete dividing wall, with barely enough any of the slenderest bit I could find and a couple of battery recharges I think. When Imlater had to send a mains cable through, though, I had to break out the heavier type to accommodate the thicker bit needed. It was the better (and quicker) option for both but not at hand easily in the first case. The smaller tool generally got used for things like creatively slicing toy cars with an edge-cutting disk and using grinding* sanding and buffing ends on the result.)

ETA: Following point ninjaed by the above post, but does it really need to be hand-powered? Bench tools get powered by benches, as well as held by them?

So, anyway, is a soldering iron a hand tool or a power tool? Does it matter if it's a gas one?

* "Mjolnir" can be translated as "(?flour?) grinder", you know. So do Norse gods use a "Mjolnr" App for hooking up with other like-minded Norse gods?

somitomi wrote:Even if the axis label was later revealed to be backward, I fail to see how anyone could think a hammer is better than an axe even for a second. An axe can do anything a hammer can, but it also has a blade for crying out loud.

Considering who he is, methinks Thor's got the whole electricity angle covered. What's disturbing is the thought of a thrown, operating jackhammer that continues to run on its own. Nevermind that it's coursing with electricity and returns to the wielder.

"That big tube down the side was officially called a "systems tunnel", which is aerospace contractor speak for "big tube down the side."

If Thor had a hammer;He'd hammer in the morning,He'd hammer in the evening,All over Vahalla. He'd hammer out dangerHe'd hammer out a warningHe''d hammer out love between My gods and my goddesses, ah-ahAll over Valhalla

Fresh new helm and cloakYou gotta like that, now your army's gonna broke.So move, from the field unravelAs I make fly girl, then catch my gavel.While it's moving, watch outBump a little bit and you'll know it's gonna clout.Like that, like thatGoes on a mission, then flies on back.The dwarves knows I like their giftOf the mass that only me can lift.

somitomi wrote:Even if the axis label was later revealed to be backward, I fail to see how anyone could think a hammer is better than an axe even for a second. An axe can do anything a hammer can, but it also has a blade for crying out loud.